Leaking Coolant

Hi Everyone,

Ive got a 2004 A4 1.8T (163bhp) with a bit of a coolant leak. The reservoir drops to min about every 3weeks (if left unfilled).

The car was recently at Audi for a service (long story but it was only at the dealer as it was free) but I asked them to look for the leak. They have reported that the "system bleed nipple" and the "thermostat" housing need replacing and have quoted £100 for parts and 4hrs @ £110 per hour labour.

After falling off the floor at their hourly rate, Ive spoken to my brother-in-law who is a very competent mechanic although not particularly familiar with Audi's. He's offered to come up and do the work but we wanted to do some investigation first.

1. Is it feasible to do this work without any "garage facilities"?
2. How tricky are the bleed valve and the thermostat housing to get to? I dont believe the bleed valve can be too bad as this broke last year and hte RAC man taped it up as a temporary measure before it was replaced under warranty.
3. Any idea what an independent garage would charge to do this work?

Many thanks for any suggestions or info.

Tim

Hi, if you are having a free service i assume the car is still under warranty? If the thermostat housing is the same as my 1.8T (1996) its made of plastic, have a look under the car, you will have to remove the under tray first, follow the bottom radiator hose back to the engine block and you will find the thermostat housing, check for leaks (can't beleive its cracked) there is a rubber seal between the housing and the thermostat. Not too bad a job to replace, but a bit fiddly undoing the 2 bolts that hold the housing on. You should have the long life red or pink coloured coolant in it, make sure you use the same again from audi dealer its G12 plus. As for the bleed nipple, not sure but to bleed mine you just release the top matrix hose and pull back to reveal a hole, fill system until coolant flows from hole, (you have to lift the reservoire tank up to get some pressure) Hope this is of help to you.

Thanks for the help.

The car isnt still under warranty - the Audi Dealership mis-advertised the car when I bought it used. It was advertised as the 180bhp model rather than 163bhp. I only found out when I was due to pick it up so I threatened to walk away. They offered me two free services as an incentive...

Although this doesnt sound like a horrendous job to change, I think its just easier to take it to a garage (althouhg not a dealer!).

Going to go and get some quotes today....

Thanks again,

Tim

HI The only bleed value I have on my 1.8T 2001 is on the top return pipes
just under the top plastic cover.
The thermostat housing is just under the throttle value. remove the air intack
pipe undo the 4 allen bolts holding the trottle value remove the coolent pipe fits on using a pull out C clip I think there is only 2 bolts holding the state.
Refit and refill using only RED antifreez.
State and housing in one and antefreeze about £65.

I have had my 2004 since new and while under warranty I started losing coolant. Dealer changed a few bits and pieces and it was not fixing the problem. Eventually (months...) we engaged Audi Australia who advised the dealer to use a UV flourescent dye in the coolant to find where the leak was occurring. After a week of driving with the dye in, we found that a simple plug at the base of the engine had a slow leak probably due to O ring... changed the plug and the leak was fixed.

Thanks for the replies.

The local garage I used after baulking at Audi's pricing, have put a dye in the coolant. They also mentioned that its possible that the gasket round the thermostat house just needs cleaning or replacing rather the full housing.

So far, so good. Dont seem to have lost any more coolant yet!

Tim